Canto and the Misturian Witch enter the maze looking for the monster, Ferro. Is the Witch going to help Canto or betray him? Find out in Canto and the City of Giants #2 from IDW Publishing!

CANTO AND THE CITY OF GIANTS #2

Writer: David M. Booher
Artist: Sebastián Piriz
Letterer: Andworld Design
Editor: David Mariotte
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: May 12, 2021

Previously in Canto and the City of Giants: Canto had the idea to help the giants, Fra and Ba, who had lost their legs, by recruiting the Misturian Witch to make them new ones. With Falco and Rikta, he takes her to the City of Giants. Fra and Ba are now in an even more difficult situation. The giants don’t consider them tall enough to be giants and have buried them up to their necks. Canto goes to the King and Queen of the Giants and tells them of his plan to have the Misturian Witch build new legs for them. They do not seem to be interested at first, but the King tells him about a beast named Ferro that attacks their livestock. If Canto brings them Ferro’s horn, they will free Fra and Ba.

AN UNEASY ALLY

Canto and the City of Giants #2 opens in the labyrinth where Ferro lives. Canto plainly does not trust the Witch but unlocks the restraints on her hands. She had wanted to come into the maze; presumably she knows something about how to get through it. She also shares that her name is Elda. Is this a gesture of trust, or is she merely tired of being called a “vile witch?” Canto demands that she tell him the truth. She claims she wants to help him.

At his insistence, she tells him a little more. Ferro, the name of the beast, also refers to iron and she believes the beast may be mechanical in part. She does seem to have some magical power over metal. She tells Canto his axe may do little against it. Canto warily believes her and tells her his name. She, however, persists in calling him a little slaver.

Falko and Rikta are with Fra and Ba to protect them from insects. As the giants sleep, their guard duty is boring, and they spar and make puns to keep occupied. Then the giants wake, and suddenly the two small warriors are up against a giant beetle.

The maze goes on and on, a mix of crumbling stone walls and glowing purple crystals. Elda does seem to know where she is going, and they reach the place she believes is Ferro’s nest. Canto touches a dead crystal and suddenly has a vision of the Shrouded Man, who tells him that the Witch will betray him. There’s a little more back and forth, but at this point, Canto is not letting the Shrouded Man get to him anymore. He strikes the dead crystal with his axe. And when he looks around, the Misturian Witch is gone!

A MAZE AND A MONSTER

A lot of the art in Canto and the City of Giants #2 has a focus on the labyrinth, and it is beautifully drawn. We get to see large sections of the maze from above and with enough angle from perspective that it feels enormous. Instead of starting from an edge and working toward the center, the path they take opens at the heart of the maze for a powerful establishing shot. Later, there is another double page spread showing even more of the maze. Panels throughout, tucked neatly into the angles of the walls, give a sense of time and the feeling that this is quite a slog.

I enjoyed seeing more of the Misturian Witch. The swampy green skin and lank gray hair give her the look of a traditional crone, but her mechanical legs twist those expectations. They look quite powerful, although we have not seen them do anything superhuman. They’re also long, and she holds them in a deep crouch which gives them a strong resemblance to an animal’s hind legs. It’s the little details like this that set the characters apart, showing them as something fresh and interesting, and not necessarily what we would have expected.

BOTTOM LINE: GOOD READ

Canto and the City of Giants #2 takes place in a rich world that has the space for interstitial stories like this. This three-issue story stands on its own yet fits neatly within Canto’s larger story.

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